Finding Purpose
by Aero'Phoenix
Summary: When Ichigo had finally accepted the fact that his Shinigami powers were gone, five months had passed and he knew it was time to leave.
1. To Start Over

**Yo. Aero'Phoenix here. **

**Here's my new crossover idea, it took awhile considering that I had to find a way to make this work without ruining the integrity of both series.**

**Just to make things clear, the general idea of the first two chapters is to have most of the members in the Jyuken Club question who the mysterious enigma, known to Toudou Academy only as Kurosaki Ichigo, actually is. **

**Well, let's get this show started. Here's to hoping this goes well with the general public.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach nor do I own Tenjho Tenge. This fanfic is just an example of all the creepy imagination bubbles running wild in my head.

...

**Chapter One- To Start Over**

...

"Ichi-nii!"

"I said I'd try to visit whenever I can Karin."

"You're still not promising me anything Ichi-nii!"

"Ah! Fine! I promise to visit as soon as things calm down over here, okay?"

"You better Ichi-nii... Yuzu and Tou-san really miss you, ya know?"

"Yeah... Talk to you later okay?"

"Yeah..."

With a sigh, Ichigo dropped the phone as he got up and off the couch. It was time to get an early start on the day.

Looking over to the clock on the wall, Ichigo realized that it was five am, which meant that three hours had passed seen he'd gotten up to prepare for his first day at Toudou Academy.

The orange haired teenager sighed as he made his way over to the kitchen, opening the fridge to take out an apple. He wasn't all that excited.

It had been a full month since he'd moved into this apartment, mainly because it was the cheapest and closest place he could find that was near the Academy.

Ichigo found it funny how most of the time he'd find himself locked up here and away from the world, preferring to listen to the noisy people upstairs than be approached by anyone he didn't know in this city.

Hazel brown eyes took on a bored gleam as he walked over to his bedroom which consisted of a single bed with a small table next to it so he could place all his study material there. A small smile briefly crossed his face at the way everything was set up. Just the way he liked it.

It reminded him of his room back at Karakura Town, with the exception of the noisy couple that lived upstairs who had the nasty habit of 'getting it on' on the weekends.

Ichigo bit into the apple as he went over to his closet to take out Toudou's standard uniform. His height didn't help much when coming to preferences on his choices of clothing, much less his toned body from the months of training back during his days as a Substitue Shinigami.

Maybe it was just his bad luck as he found that his uniform showcased more of his muscular figure, his broad shoulders specifically being enhanced by the black fabric.

'So much for not attracting unwanted attention...'

After taking a few minutes to get dressed, Ichigo ruffled his hair a bit before checking the mirror to see if he at least looked decent enough to get to school. He'd decided to keep his hair longer at the front whist shorting the locks on the back so that his pony tail wasn't too long.

'I look okay I guess. It's decent enough for today.' He thought, not particularly wanting to stand out on his first day.

Today was also the day he planned on joining the most suitable Martial Arts club at the Academy. He couldn't place it exactly but he felt the need to work on rebuilding his foundation from the ground up.

After fixing up the last of the glitches on his uniform, Ichigo then packed his books and made sure to eat a sandwich on the way out as he locked the door to his apartment.

He stood outside his door for awhile to take in the sight of the urban neighbourhood. It wasn't over luxurious like the other parts of the place he'd seen, probably why he'd chosen to live here as there weren't too many buildings as there were trees around.

Ichigo frowned.

'Zangetsu would've loved it here.'

He quickly adjusted his black blazer as it was starting to feel uncomfortable. The sun wasn't up yet which meant he at least had about another hour or so before school started.

"Well" Ichigo muttered to the cold air as he started walking down the flight of stairs to the side of his door. "Guess I'll just have to take a detour."

Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo noticed two people leaning on a railing of a floor just above his own of the apartment building. He didn't really take in their features as he turned at the hook of an alley. It didn't matter much as whatever they were doing was none of his business.

.x.X.x.

"... Bob" moaned out a brunette with shoulder length hair. She dawned on a pink gown that clung to all the right curves on her body as a dark skinned male, who's hair was braided in a lose fashion, hugged her from behind while nibbling lightly on her ear. "I think I just saw a kid from that school you're headed over to."

Bob blinked, putting his teasing on hold as he looked up to see where exactly the brunette was staring at. "You sure Chiaki?"

Said girl nodded, glancing back at her boyfriend with a thoughtful look. "Mhmm! Guy had on what you're wearing right now. All black and everything."

"Hmm." The taller teen seemed to dwell on something as he look over his uniform and back at the girl wrapped in his arms. "It doesn't matter. If the guy's lucky, Nagi won't notice him and end up kicking his ass."

Chiaki giggled at the thought. "You guys really need to cut down on the school conquering biz. You never know when you'll run into that one guy that's just too strong."

Bob shook his head in disagreement. "I doubt we'd stop even if that happened. Souichiro's that type of hot head."

Chiaki smiled as she turned around, her nose inches away from Bob's. Her eyes narrowed as lust glazed over her orbs. "What time do you have to fetch Na-chan?"

Bob raised a brow as Chiaki's breath lingered across his cheek. The distance between their lips made Bob shiver as the look in his girlfriend's eyes suggested that she was thinking along the same lines as him. "6:45, why?"

"Because..." Chiaki whispered into his ear. "That gives us 30 minutes till you have to get on that bike of yours."

Bob could only grin as he proceeded to make out with the busty brunette as they headed into his apartment. Man did he love his girlfriend.

.x.X.x.

Ichigo stroll down onto the side of a road leading to a much longer route to Toudou Academy. He wasn't in a rush and it certainly felt good to step out and take in the fresh morning air before all the traffic started to pollute everything with gas.

Hazel brown eyes flashed with sorrow as he gradually recalled the events that led him to this place.

After the Winter War had ended, a lot of reconstruction had taken place to make up for all the destruction Aizen had caused. Kisuke, along with Shinji and Yoruichi had been asked to help bring order to Soul Society and had temporally taken up their positions as captains again.

Ichigo wasn't sure how long it took to get everything back in order but one thing was for certain, he'd be there to make sure everything was back to normal by the time his powers left him.

The Winter War had cost him his heart. The pain from having to watch his comrades die had proved to be too much for his spirit to take but for the sake of everyone else, he'd forced himself to move forward.

It had taken everything out of him. Unpleasant memories of how many peoples' lives the war had affected always seemed to haunt Ichigo.

He quite clearly recalled how he and Byakuya would every morning pray together in front of the cherry blossom tree near the main house of the Kuchiki compound. He'd had a lot to say to her by then.

Days turned into weeks.

Weeks turned into months.

All in all things looked bright.

Soul Society had been up in no time with everyone's participation.

The Vizards were in for a pleasant surprise as Seiretei had welcomed them back with open arms as the sacrifice both Mashiro and Kensei made to save the Vice-Captains from Barragan's Respira(Dying Breath) proved admirable of their trust.

Ichigo had honestly been glad as he could finally see his family and wasted no time in getting over to the real world in order to have dinner with Yuzu, Karin and Isshin.

Going back to school was easy, although he wasn't the least bit surprised by the treatment from Keigo and Mizuiro. If anything he felt he deserved the cold attitude for letting Tatsuki die that day from one of Aizen's stray Cero. Maybe if he had forced him further away from Karakura...

Ishida, along with Inoue had offered their support, telling him that it was okay but Ichigo wasn't stupid. He could see past the forced and strained smiles. He knew in a way that Ishida and Inoue were hurt, the pain from having to lose the most important people in your life never had mercy on anyone.

Kagine-sensei had informed the class of both Ishida and Inoue's transfers to different schools that were out of town the week after.

Ichigo's only regret that day was that he hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye.

He'd always kept contact via email after that, even though Ishida never replied to his and Inoue would always give him rather short answers.

He'd ask things like how she was doing, if everything was okay or if her studies were going well.

It would always be answers like 'Fine', 'Yeah' or 'Their okay.'

Ichigo had never given up though. He'd continue to check up on them even as he and Chad would spend their Friday nights catching up on how life was playing out for them.

Renji and surprising Toshiro came to check up on him and the status of his ever fading reiatsu, the latter of the two partnering up with him to help with the eradication of hollows within Karakura.

Ichigo had wondered what a Captain level shinigami was doing away from Seiretei. The short, Hyourinmaru wielding taicho had acknowledged him with a glare before swiftly declaring that he was on holiday for the time being.

Ichigo could only smile as he slowly began to realize that Toshiro was spending most of the time of the day with Karin either playing soccer or arguing about life in general.

He'd missed days like those with Rukia. It became too painful to think about her most of the time and sooner than later, he'd find himself cutting off all his ties to Soul Society.

Toshiro was still welcome on the rare days he came. He just didn't have the heart to disappoint his stubborn sister. The fact that Toshiro was willing to fight in order to prove himself didn't help in easing over the tension anyway.

Eventually even Renji had led up to his cold attitude. Telling Ichigo that he'd be back the day he got his head out of his ass.

That day had never come.

His powers had surprising vanished within a month. He'd noticed the signs too, like how winded he'd get from using a single Getsuga Tensho(Heavenly Shocking Lunar Fang) or how it was getting harder to Shunpo(Flash Step) until he couldn't do either altogether.

On his final night as a Shinigami, Zangetsu had brought him into his inner world to tell him goodbye and wish him luck on his journey. He wasn't sure if he could read faces better but he'd sworn he'd seen the sorrow flashing through the old man's eyes before finally sending him out of the now crumbling inner world.

The next thing he knew, he'd woken up from bed and just like that things were normal.

He spent that day walking around, looking for signs of anything out of the ordinary. He realized that there were...

No Hollows

No Ghosts

No Shinigami

... Nothing.

Life had carried on after that yet Ichigo found that he'd slowly begun to change. He'd go out less than usual and get into more fights before coming home late.

Yuzu would always give him those worried glances during dinner whilst Karin would just keep quiet and let him be.

The war had left him scarred emotionally, his physical and mental state of wellbeing too stubborn to go down without a fight.

Violence was his way of venting as he'd beat down on any gang he'd catch on the street. The once resolute burn in his eyes had faded along with his purpose to go on living.

Finally after three gruelling months of self inflicted loathing, his father, Isshin, had stormed into his room and proceeded to beat the shit of him with his bare hands.

Ichigo not ever being one to keep his cool or back down retaliated and soon an all out brawl had ensued which later ended with both men flat on their backs, breathing laboured as they bleed on the floor whilst trying to stay conscious.

"Is all that... Is all that stupid sense of self loathing out yet?" Isshin more or less breathed out.

"... Fuck off" replied Ichigo acidly.

Isshin sighed before slowly picking himself up off the floor. He stumbled over to the fallen form of his son, crouching down to meet his hazel brown, a rare seriousness that was only reserved for important matters clear in his eyes.

"You can't expect to wallow like this forever Ichigo."

"What are you talking about?" asked the orange head begrudgingly as a small amount of blood oozed from his bruised lip. He looked away. "There's nothing wrong with me..."

"Who the hell do you think you're fooling here!?" spat Isshin. "Can't you see!? You've had Karin and Yuzu worried sick about you!"

Ichigo grunted as he abruptly tried to get up only to have his father grip his collar. "Let go of me oji-"

"Rukia's dead!"

Ichigo froze, his hands going limp on Isshin's wrists as he stared into the steely eyes of his father, catching a glimpse of the former Captain-class Shinigami buried away inside.

"Rukia's dead Ichigo! Both her and Tatsuki! It won't help if you just lie there all day the way you did when Kaa-chan-"

Isshin instinctively ducked under the fast left hook that came a split second after he'd referred to his late wife before intercepting the right that was aimed for his jaw. Isshin gripped Ichigo's fist, watching with all forms of seriousness as Ichigo bend over from the fist he'd just shot out as it connected with his mid-section.

By the time Ichigo felt all the air get knocked out of his lungs, Yuzu and Karin had ran upstairs to see what all the commotion was about, taking the broken down door as a sign to enter with caution.

At the sight of bruised and beaten Ichigo on his knees...

Yuzu gasped.

Karin frowned.

Isshin had then crouched down to do the one thing any good father would do in this situation.

He hugged him.

Ichigo was too shocked to even register Yuzu and Karin running over to them with tears in their eyes as they joined the show of affection. Only being brought out of his momentary daze at the sound of sobs from both his sisters, it proved to be too much for his composure as at that moment Kurosaki Ichigo, former Substitute Shinigami of Karakura Town and saviour of Soul Society...

... had wept.

After ten minutes or so, the Kurosaki family had gotten up and talked about everything dealing with the aftermath of the war, Yuzu and Karin eventually falling asleep which allowed Isshin to talk about the more darker parts of the war, which later led to words of comfort and motivation.

Ichigo had never felt more pride in having the Kurosaki surname that day.

A week had past after that confrontation and Ichigo had come to a decision.

He'd have to leave.

His father had understood immediately, his sisters on the other hand wailed about him going away before he sat them down and explained that he'd have to move away for the purpose of education. It was a lie but he felt his sisters would only be troubled and worry after him if they'd known the truth.

He'd then searched on the net for schools that specifically dealt with the art of Kenjutsu and after finally listing those down came upon the renowned Toudou Academy.

It was a good place to start as he needed to brush up on his skills as well as learn a thing or two in unarmed combat.

It wasn't that he couldn't defend himself, far from it actually. It was just that there was a word for the way he fought, one Byakuya use to always remark about.

His style was, in elegant terms, 'unrefined'. Ichigo, being the blunt person that he was, concluded that he meant that he fought like a savage.

Isshin had personally invited Chad to help send him off as the family took him to the airport and after several tearful goodbyes later, he found himself on a one way flight to Japan.

Ichigo blinked at the sudden rush of memories, frown turning grim at getting so caught up in the past once again.

He noticed that the sun was up and felt that it was time to get to school.

.x.X.x.

Ichigo hadn't expected much on his first day, if anything he was hoping to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to himself, something he was clearly failing at as two girls who appeared to be students at the Academy, passed him by whilst blushing at being caught staring at his chest.

"So this is Toudou Academy huh?" Ichigo found himself looking up to the two stone statues atop of the gates of what appeared to be samurai? "... Maa"

Ichigo passed by the gates, his bag slung across his shoulder as his infamous scowl made its way onto his face. Being the type of guy who always followed his instincts took a lot of work but it was work he was willing to get done as that was what saved his ass throughout most of the war.

He didn't know why his gut had to give off such an ominous feeling about this place but he shrugged it off as he passed the gates.

He didn't care much for the bad feeling though as anything was better than facing off an Arrancar. Besides he was Kurosaki Ichigo, if Kenpachi couldn't kill him on a good day, certainly no stuck up martial artist would... right?

He pulled out his phone and went wide eyed as he looked at the time that read '7:25'and realised that he was late.

"Shit! Gotta get to the homeroom class before they mark my name off the list for being absent!"

.x.X.x.

Ichigo had expected a lot of things while running up the stairs to get to class.

A creepy older lady who could send chills down his spine with a sadistic smile that foretold loads of extra bullshit assignments.

Maybe even some muscle bound jockey for a lecture that had the clear weakness of falling for pathetic and fake tears from female students in his classroom.

Hell, even an old geezer that kept on yapping about how irresponsible youngsters were would've been better a greeting as he stood in the hallway of where his supposed class was to be.

What he didn't expect to see was a large group of male students littering the floor of the hallway unconscious.

"What the hell?" Ichigo muttered as he looked up to see some of the other students forming a semi circle around a commotion of sorts.

He didn't want to be involved as the plan for the year was to not draw any attention to himself. He cussed under his breath at realising that the crowd had formed next to a door that had the characters 'D12' written on them.

That was his class! One that he was already late for, he might add.

The crowd cleared for a moment as a body went flying over only land on the side of his foot. Ichigo caught a glimpse of a large dark skinned individual executing an axe kick on some unsuspecting student whilst a blond connected with a right hook that send some other guy crashing through his classroom door before the circle closed up again.

Ichigo could only scowl as he walked up to the crowd that seemed to open up immediately at the sight of his bright orange hair and stoic presence.

"Oi, Assholes." Ichigo spat lazily, dropping his bag onto the floor. "Why don't you try that on someone who can take a hit?"

It wouldn't take long seeing as apparently these punks were brawlers and hey, what was the harm in stopping two idiots from causing more trouble on his way to class?

.x.X.x.

Ichigo would only later realise how drastic his life would change from his first encounter with the Knuckle Bomb duo; Makihara Bob and Nagi Souichiro.

...

**Review if you will? I'm kinda depressed here waiting to see the response to this and could use the boost in moral *puppy eyes*.**

**Anyways that's up to the audience and don't worry, the action starts next chapter.**

**Aero Out.**


	2. What's The Harm In A Little Fight?

**And I'm back with the next instalment!**

**I was kinda amazed by the general reaction to chapter One and I'd just like thank everyone who decided to review, follow and favourite this story. I don't really get much of those. **

**A guest asked if I was going to pair Ichigo with Maya and to be honest...**

**It really depends on the flow of the story. Not to say that they won't bond but I'm trying to make this crossover as realistic as possible. **

**With that being said, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Now you all get to see how Ichigo's mere presence changes the canon. **

**Shout out to Zero X Limit, who also happens to have made a rare crossover in this section.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own both Bleach and Tenjho Tenge. I'd like to believe that in an alternate universe somewhere out there, that I'd actually did own one of the two, that and that I was an only child. It's sad, I know...

...

**Chapter 2- What's The Harm In A Little Fight?**

...

"What the hell are you two thinking!? Stop this!"

Bob's response to the bald student's order was to deliver a powerful thrust kick to his face which inevitable sent the man flying.

Daimura momentarily felt the pain circulate through his face as the impact forcefully lifted him into the air before having his eyes roll to the back of his head.

His form rushed passed the crowd and landed with a thud onto the hard floor.

To his surprise, he'd realized that he was still conscious as he could feel the harsh throbbing echo throughout his head as darkness nearly swallowed what was left of his peripheral vision.

Daimura tried to blink away the blurry images as everything was a harsh daze to him. He tried desperately and failed to focus on recollecting his thoughts.

Being able to blink away the darkness after a few attempts, he looked around wearily as pain stabbed at every form of movement he took, wondering where exactly was he?

He realized after a few seconds that he was laying on an incredibly cold surface before trying to figure out how he'd gotten there. Memories of heading down to school for homeroom flashed through his mind. That much was clear.

But then...

'Damnit...' A brief flash of a large dark skinned male crossed his mind and it all suddenly came to him.

He along with his class were attacked, by two freshmen no less.

Daimura wearily took a slow glance upwards as sound registered with his ears. He found himself squinting at the familiar black clothing that represented the school uniform trousers before strangely acknowledging what looked to be orange hair as he took in the individual standing above his form.

With a grunt, Daimura shifted to the side as the mysterious student strolled onwards, seemingly ignoring his presence. Much to his relief, he could finally see clearly and was glad that the images he focused on were forming into solid shapes.

He crawled over to a nearby wall before slumping against it with his back to get a better view of the stranger heading off into the ruckus.

"Damn..." Daimura grunted as he watched the small crowd quickly open up to the stranger before hesitantly closing off to hide his view of whoever was passing by. Pain yet again surged through his body as he used the wall as a means of support to get onto his feet.

"This has gotten out of hand... I need to get Natsume-san."

He started limping over to the stairway, off to the only person that could stop the already escalating situation.

.x.X.x.

"Oi, Assholes." Ichigo spat lazily, dropping his bag onto the floor. "Why don't you try that on someone who can take a hit?"

Souichiro blinked as he ducked under a punch, at the voice nearby the crowd. He made quick work of the weakling he was up against by delivering a bone breaking head butt to the guy's nose, knocking the random student unconscious as blood gust out of his nostrils.

Curiosity overtook him as he turned to the individual that called out to him and Bob with a raised brow, taking in the features of the tall, well toned male with bright orange hair. Souichiro found himself grinning as he focused on the bored gleam in the stranger's brown eyes, assuming that the guy thought he was weak.

"Yo, Bob! Get a look at the next guy I'm about to beat." called out Souichiro, getting the attention of his partner in crime who had just finished off the last of his opponents by incorporating a Capoeira styled windmill kick. "He seems like the stuck up prep kid type."

Bob didn't seem to share his best friend's opinion as he got a good look at the guy in front of them, noticing that they were about the same height, he also assessed that their body mass was slightly different with his being more muscular.

Bob felt that there was something about this guy that was amiss. He seemed too calm in this situation, even with the handicapped two on one advantage him and Nagi were about to implement. His stance was normal, no fighting pose, just his hands in his pockets as he regarded them with a bored gaze.

This guy's presence, whether he realized it or not, exuded power.

"Watch out..." Bob warned as he stood beside Souichiro, taking in their new opponent's appearance. "This guy doesn't look like someone we should mess with."

"All the more reason to fight him." Souichiro grinned as he cracked his knuckles. Ichigo's dark hazel locked with Nagi's lighter amber as the blond prepared to engage by bringing up his fists up. "I take back what I said about him being a stuck up prep. He looks strong."

The crowd behind Ichigo quickly went silent, almost as if they could feel the sudden tension between the two as it looked like the fight was about to start.

Bob's knuckles clenched as he quickly gave Nagi a light tap on the shoulder and a knowingly look to which the shorter boy acknowledged with a nod before finally rushing over towards Ichigo.

Ichigo didn't react to the straightforward attack; instead he waited to see which body part the blond was aiming for and frowned lightly as Souichiro jumped up into the air with a fist cocked back at the ready. Tensing his body, Ichigo ran forward as the fist sailed for his head, to which he dodged easily by crooking his head to the side, causing it to narrowly sail pass his ear in the process.

Nagi's eyes widened as Ichigo slipped into his guard before letting out a choked gasp at the sudden feel of rough fingers wrapping around his neck in an iron grip. What made the situation worse was that he realized that Ichigo had just used his momentum against him as he was still in mid-air before finding himself being slammed into the hard pavement.

Pain exploded through his back and midsection, the back of his head throbbing at the immense pain coursing through his limps. Souichiro watched with wide eyes as his own saliva flew out of his mouth at the pained gasp he'd just emitted before starting to choke as the grip around his neck tightened.

Ichigo's eyes remained impassive as he watched the boy squirm and struggle under him due to the pressure he was adding as he tried to strangle the guy into unconsciousness.

He found himself wondering if that was all this kid really had?

Something about his straightforward attack was fishy, he thought as he knew from the looks of things, what with all the bodies lying around, that the kid wasn't that average of a brawler.

Meaning only one thing... This was a set up.

His ears picked up on the sound of hurried footsteps and Ichigo cursed under his breath as he was forced to release his hold on the blond as he, in a show of tremendous skill and effort, bent his entire form back to avoid the kick that was aimed for his head.

Bob's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as he watched Ichigo avoid the kick that surely would've had him unconscious. The orange haired student shouldn't have had time to avoid a kick from that distance and yet he did. That required immensely disturbing speed...

'Who is this guy?'

To Bob's horror, the orange haired fighter's body only seemed to still as the kick sailed passed his form before defying gravity by standing back up only to find that he'd already placed his right foot behind Bob's ankle and followed up with a brutal arm swing that caught his neck, sending him crashing to the cold hard floor.

Seeing as the dark skinned male wasn't moving, Ichigo stood up to regard the two individuals' prone forms. Making his way over to take his bag pack, Ichigo frowned as he noticed how quickly the blond was recovering, raising a brow as he also found himself slightly impressed with Souichiro's resilience.

"You actually got up after that?" Ichigo asked as he let his bag once again drop to the floor. Souichiro slowly limped up, clutching at his right arm as he glared wearily at Ichigo turning back fully to regard him.

"Sure I did." Souichiro grunted, feeling another surge of pain flow through his shoulder. "You really know how to slam the shit out of a guy, ya know that?"

Ichigo didn't reply to the question, choosing instead to glance back at Bob who seemed to have also recovered from the assault as he rubbed his neck.

Bob took a few shallow breaths as he regarded Ichigo with a precautious stare. He knew there was something amiss about the guy, he just hadn't anticipated that he was capable of such skill.

Not only had he dodged Nagi's decoy attack effortless and countered without having to sidestep to his left, but he'd also reacted instantly to his follow up kick by bending backwards, effectively avoiding getting his head knocked off his shoulders and having enough speed to counter his attempt as well.

There was no doubt about it now in his mind now.

This guy was strong.

"Who are you?" Bob asked hesitantly, finally seeming to realize that they were in way over their heads.

Ichigo looked back to Souichiro, who once again took a fighting stance. Bob thought Ichigo was going to ignore him until he heard the freshman speak up.

"Someone who hates having dumbasses mess with his schedule."

Souichiro wasn't at all affected by Ichigo's remark, in fact his grin widened at the annoyance clear in Ichigo's tone. "Oi! Bob, let's show this bastard what happens when the Knuckle Bombs get serious."

Bob contemplated for a moment as he glanced at Souichiro, noticing for the first time in awhile that there was that familiar fire burning in his best friend's eyes. He shook his head wearily as his lips curved upwards in a weak smile. "No choice then... Well even though we're about to get our asses handed to us, I'm behind you all the way."

For a moment, Ichigo nearly smiled as, in a twisted sense; these two reminded him of himself and Chad.

Nearly

He sighed as he finally decided to step things up a notch and give the two the benefit of the doubt by going into a basic stance, bringing his arms up in front of him and facing Souichiro's direction, taking quick glances to his front and behind where Bob stood, keeping tabs on both.

"Let's go."

No sooner had the words left Ichigo's lips, did Nagi lash out with a fist cocked back as he charged towards him. Bob quickly mimicking Souichiro's actions from behind as he too charged to the back of his form, both punches aimed for his head.

Ichigo stayed immobile as the two went for him and couldn't help the stray thought that echoed in his head as the duo neared him.

'I guess there's no harm in a little fight...'

.x.X.x.

"You seem really happy Takayanagi."

Realizing that he'd been caught day dreaming about the newest member to join the Jyuken club, Masataka quickly recovered from his momentary stupor from imagining Aya up close, at his senpai's teasing tone. He stuttered a bit as he brought his hands up in a gesture of misunderstanding, to brush off Maya's suspicions.

Sitting on one of the wooden stairs that lead to a dojo with Maya, Masataka tried to salvage the situation by changing the subject. "The Jyuken team is really weak compared to the other martial arts teams." He acknowledged, "I'd gladly welcome anyone with some skill, for the sake of our goal!"

"Our goal huh?" Maya asked, the suspicion she felt regarding the matter clear in her eyes before sighing as she smiled teasingly to the view of the school before them. "Well, I'll leave it at that then."

Masataka blushed indignantly at his senpai. "No! Really, that's all I meant!"

Not too far away from the two...

Daimura limped onwards, determined to find help, as he recognized one of the two distant forms to be none other than the person he was looking for. Walking up to the dojo, he stepped onto the wooden platform that formed part of the foundation of the building before letting out a pained grunt.

"N-Natsume-san."

The young silver haired girl looked up to the bruised and beaten bald student before raising a brow out of curiosity, wondering what exactly had happened to him.

Masataka quickly recognized the senior student as he rushed over to help seeing as it looked like the man was having trouble standing up. "What happened to you Daimura-san?"

"I was... attacked Takayanagi-san." Daimura grunted although relieved that Masataka was setting him down to lean against the outer dojo's wall. He glanced up to the four store building that was their school. "There's trouble upstairs."

Maya sighed as she too turned to gaze at the direction Daimura was focused on, making sure to skilfully ignore the state her fellow student was in. "I take it it's on that floor?"

Daimura let out a pained 'hai' at where Natsume-san was gazing at, figuring he should inform the two as best as he could on the situation at hand. "Two freshmen suddenly started attacking every male in class A of the 12th grade. Most of us tried to stop them yet... they were too strong for us."

"Oh dear..." Maya mumbled wearily before suddenly hopping onto Masataka's shoulder. "Well it appears we'll have to teach these children a thing or two Takayanagi."

Masataka glanced at his senpai's bored expression, realizing that he'd probably have to do most of the work this time, unless of course one of the unlucky idiots didn't actually listen to what she was saying, which was highly likely due to her currently being stuck in her child form.

He stretched his arms as he started making his way over to the stairs, knowing full well that whoever was up there causing all this was in for a harsh surprise.

"Hai."

.x.X.x.

Souichiro cursed, blood oozing down his busted lip, as he'd been unable to land a single hit on Ichigo. The guy had not only avoided every attack he'd tried to dish out but had also seen through every trick he tried to incorporate into this fight.

"Shit!" Nagi cursed, frustrated at how easily they were being beaten. "You're fucking up all my strikes."

Bob grunted at Souichiro's remark as he too was starting to slow down more. Ichigo had been able to counter all their joint attacks. As if that wasn't bad enough, the guy had also been able to retaliate with counters that forced them to injury the other instead of him.

He was predicting all their moves, knowing where to time and place his strikes in order to force them to either stumble or strike at each other.

The Knuckle Bombs growled at the impassive glances Ichigo had sent both not too long ago and lashed out from either side of the orange haired students with punches once again aimed to his skull in an attempt to confuse the blond.

Ichigo calmly crossed his arms as he intercepted both fists easily; clenching his fingers as to strain the bones that formed part of their knuckles and grew satisfied at hearing how both Nagi and Bob gasped in pain from the sheer strength of the grip before being forced to stumble back as he let the hold go.

Ichigo had honestly expected more. Souichiro's resilience to his attacks along with his dirty tactics should have forced him to actually use his fists for a change yet the kid continued to react as he predicted by rushing in the same straightforward manner. He repeated the same tactics over and over to such an extent that Ichigo actually got... bored.

He watched as Bob slumped next to the door that was his class whilst Nagi leaned onto one of the glass windows.

This wasn't how things were suppose to happen today, Nagi thought as he watched Bob struggle to get up.

Today was the day they were meant to conquer their 100th school, Toudou Academy. Things had started off so well, they were able to take down around fifty to sixty five students that made up the A, B and C class without even breaking a sweat.

Now **one **guy shows up and proceeds to kick their cans like they were nothing at all!

He couldn't let that down. He'd never lost a fight in his life; he couldn't afford too, not Souichiro Nagi.

Yet here he was, slumped against a wall against a guy who didn't even look like he was interested in fighting them at all. It was just too much to take in damnit!

He couldn't afford to... He couldn't afford to LOSE!

"I'll make you take this seriously!" Nagi barked loudly as he glared at Ichigo's calm demeanour. "Then... I'll beat you to the ground and win this fight!"

CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!

Gasps echoed throughout the hallway as the small crowd that had gathered around them, suddenly started to spread out and leave the scene at the sight of a blond student that wore glasses while spotting a dark grin walking up to the commotion.

Ryuzaki found himself clapping at the show of these three brawlers fighting, finding it amusing that these punks thought they were strong just because they were able to knock out a lot of weaklings.

"So this is where all the fuss was at huh?" asked Ryuzaki before spitting on the floor next to an unconscious student as more of the crowd hurried away from the scene.

Bob and Nagi acknowledged his presence immediately with a tense stare whilst Ichigo merely glanced at him.

"Pretty good job... for a bunch of punks." Ryuzaki taunted as he took a moment to glance at all the unconscious bodies littering the hallway before redirecting his gaze to a beaten Nagi. "Yet I can't help but feel the nag to actually teach you bitches a lesson."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed at that as he took a moment to analyze the guy in front of him.

He noticed that the black blazer he dawn was unbuttoned, showing off the red undershirt he wore beneath the uniform and raised a brow at all the wrinkled lines that showed that he'd either forgotten to iron the shirt or that he was a slob when it came to preparing for school.

His lower attire didn't stick out as odd which made Ichigo look up more into the guy's facial features. His hair was a light blond that was well kept and he wore spectacles that at times glinted when he assessed his surroundings and hid his black eyes that were currently narrowed in appraise.

Ichigo could tell from the guy's slouched stance that he either thought him along with these other two were either weak or that he 'believed' that he was stronger than all three of them combined. He was betting on the latter.

What made him frown though, was that this guy, who didn't seem the least bit phased by the damage around the place, just walked up and told them all off by suggesting that he was going to kick their asses.

Mind the fact that he'd just referred to him as a bitch.

The situation was getting out of hand, he'd realized as he found that he wanted to tell this dude off about how he was not a part of all this, only being the one who tried to intervene.

It didn't help that he also wanted to kick the prick's ass.

Yet he could tell, just by looking at the dark grin on the guy's face that even if he tried to explain the situation, this guy was just going to flat out ignore him and start a fight.

Still, he'd have to try.

"Wait a minute." Ichigo said, "This isn't what it looks like. I actually came here for class and got caught up in all this but the situation's handled now."

Ryuzaki yawned mockingly. "Yeah right, I'll be the judge of that."

So much for giving it a try.

"And to think Isuzu assigned me to take care of all this crap." Ryuzaki groaned before once again grinning as he finally turned to take in Ichigo's presence. "Luckily the order was to take out whoever started up this crap, along with the punks who would decide to escalate the situation."

Part of that was a lie, Ryuzaki thought as the Enforcers already knew that there was a high chance of fights breaking out today when their President had ordered they all wait outside his office while he analyzed the list for this year's freshmen.

He had been pissed at first, grumbling about how it was too earlier to be waiting for bullshit until that bag of bones, Tagami, had let him in on a rumour he had heard spreading through the streets.

Apparently one of this year's freshmen was notorious for having defeated every single gang in a small town known as Karakura which caused Ryuzaki to pause as he too had been hearing similar rumours.

This guy apparently was revered as the One Man Army and was said to have fought over a hundred men and come out unscathed.

Ryuzaki scoffed at first as the rumour sounded way too exaggerated to actually be true before gaping like a fish at the serious look on their advisor's face as the man rarely attended meetings on time, especially when they were this early.

Ryuzaki then spent the next five minutes listening in on the three profiles to be weary of and made it his personal mission to find the guy that had actually raddled his boss up by volunteering for patrol duty today.

Now that he was finally face to face with this 'Kurosaki Ichigo', he couldn't help but grin by how ordinary he appeared. He was expecting something similar to their President's stoic muscular appearance or at least someone as large as Sagara but this?

'Those rumours must have been exaggerated about you, Kurosaki.'

'Isuzu?' Ichigo thought, making sure to not show his curiosity by keeping a straight face. 'Wonder who that- you know what? I don't even wanna know.'

"Oi!" Souichiro suddenly barked out, getting the attention of both Ryuzaki and Ichigo. "Don't interrupt my fight! I still have to kick that Strawberry's ass!"

Whether Nagi knew it or not, for the very first time that day, he'd actually succeeded in pissing off the one guy that could beat his ass ten times over. There was only one person besides Yachiru that use to call Ichigo that, and only she was able to get away with it.

He ignored everyone and everything around as his heart wrenched in pain at the memory of a raven haired girl struggling to use a juice box and suddenly found his head snapping towards Nagi as his calm facade was buried to the ground. His hands clenched into fists due to anger whilst moving to engage and knock Nagi's lights out.

He wasn't expecting what came next.

None of them were.

It was as if time slowed to make sure they'd catch every detail as Ryuzaki slowly raised the palm of his hand towards Nagi's direction.

Ichigo, along with those left in the vicinity watched with widened eyes as out of the very air they breathed, flames formed and comprised into a ball of scorching heat before suddenly shooting off and slamming into Souichiro.

The boy let out a pained gasp at the heat of the flames, the impact forcing him to burst through the window he'd just stood behind. Just as the darkness started to envelope his vision, Nagi frowned weakly as he felt himself plummet down into the earth, the cold air rushing passed him before finally losing consciousness.

Ichigo found that he'd been left speechless while watching Nagi's form burst through the window, his limps momentarily seized to function as his mind scrambled to try and make sense of what had just happened.

There was no way this guy could have used what he thought he did... just no way at all that a human would even be remotely able to use...

Kido(Demon Magic)

But then what the hell had just happened?

Whoever this guy was, was not only able to make fire burst out of thin air but also control it to an extent that he could redirect it into an attack that both worked for short and long range distances.

Did Toudou Academy actually have people capable of such feats? If so, then what was it that he was getting himself into this time?

"Stupid freshman..." Ryuzaki mumbled with a small smirk as he gazed at where Nagi use to be before glancing back to take in Ichigo's shocked expression. "One down, two to go."

Shifting his arm over to face Ichigo, Ryuzaki sneered maliciously as he readied another highly dense ball of flames a few feet away from Ichigo's face.

"BOOM!"

.x.X.x.

Aya groaned weakly as she tried to regain some form of control over her mobile limps.

She registered belatedly that a heavy weight was on top of her and couldn't help but stiffen.

Moments ago, she had just finished freshening up in the shower and was walking out of the comforting heat that surged through the stall with a towel wrapped comfortable around her form, hopefully concealing her ample butt cheeks and breasts.

So focused on the comforting heat that the steam brought to her aching muscles after practicing her family's basic katas was Aya, that she failed to move away in time to avoid the large object that crashed through the roof of the girl's shower room.

Her head was still ringing from the impact as the geyser that had been connected to one of the sectors of the room burst and started sprouting out hefty amounts of hot water onto the floor, which eventually caught up to her as she was still pinned under the mysterious weight.

She squirmed and tried to wriggle her way out of whatever had her trapped and after a few attempts, gave up as her senses were too disorientated to make out what exactly was on top of her.

Aya squinted as she brought her head up to look down on what was on top of her only to find herself gazing at what looked like a turf of blond nestled neatly on top of her buxom.

She shrieked as she realized that **someone** was on top of her and once again tried to push the stranger up and off her.

Souichiro groaned at the high pitched sound that assaulted his ears, his hand pressing up onto the nearest solid thing to help him stand up.

Strange enough, he felt himself squeezing something soft.

He frowned.

Blinking a bit, bleary amber eyes opened to look down and take in the sight of a beautiful yet shocked stiff auburn haired girl whose cheeks were flush pink and getting darker by the second.

He paled as he looked down to see that his hand was squeezing one of the girl's ample breasts that were barely covered by the wet towel that clung to her curvaceous body.

'Shit.'

As the seconds went by, an awkward silence had made itself known within the confines of the room.

Souichiro didn't dare make a sound, let alone move as he stared into the bewildered stare of Aya.

Aya couldn't form the words to say as she found herself staring into the stranger's eyes. She could've scream things like 'pervert' or yell for help yet nothing seemed to escape her lips as a strange heat began pooling through her stomach and travelled lower, into places a 15 year old girl like her shouldn't even remotely be concerned about.

Aya couldn't describe the sensations that were currently going through her as her heart threatened to burst through her ribcage and found herself captivated by the blond hovering above her.

'His eyes...'

She couldn't help but suddenly realize the sort of intimate position the both of them were in as Souichiro hovered mere inches above her with his hand still resting on one of her breasts, lips parted slightly in stiff shock of being this near her.

Logic left her as she suddenly felt herself leaning forward into his face, her now glazed eyes stuck on his moist lips as his warm laboured breathes left her flushed cheeks tingling in silent anticipation.

Nagi's mind had shut off as well as the distance between them was slowly breached. He couldn't move away, it was as if an invisible force was drawing him to this girl and his mind refused to form reason of any sort.

Their lip met in a simple kiss.

The effect was instantaneous as both their hearts thud painfully.

A cold shiver ran through Souichiro's spine that nearly had him numb to the feeling.

He didn't know why he was caught up in such a intimate gesture with a girl he didn't even **know** and found himself worried at the fact that he didn't even care.

.x.X.x.

Ichigo's instinct kicked in at the ready as his body quickly leaped back. The orange haired freshman's thoughts suddenly focused on the attack headed right for him with staggering clarity as he performed a back flip, narrowly evading the blast as it sailed passed his face.

Ichigo landed on the balls of his toes lightly in a crouched position, brown eyes burning with renewed intensity as he scowled at Ryuzaki.

He could accept it now. Whatever he had tried to salvage in this situation had been blown to bits, which meant that there would be no talking himself out of this.

This time, he'd have to end things the way he usually did, with violence.

Sure he'd taken that decision earlier on when facing down those two brawlers but there was a difference to how things were going to play out now.

This time, he wouldn't hold back.

Ryuzaki's expression had gotten serious after watching Ichigo move with such speed to avoid his attack. It disturbed him a bit that Kurosaki was able to avoid something from such close a range but in the end and faintly wondered if he really was as dangerous as people said.

He pushed that thought away; quickly summing up that the guy was just lucky was all.

"Man! Are you one lucky son of a bitch! I stuffed that thing with enough juice to give 1st degree burns." Ryuzaki finally eased into a basic boxing stance as Ichigo stood and just as slowly clenched his fists. "Seeing as I'm about to get serious and knock you out cold. I'll just do you the honour of telling you my name."

"I'll pass." Ichigo deadpanned. "Besides, judging by how weak the foundation of your stance is, I'll be done in a second."

For a moment, Ryuzaki stared dumbfounded at Ichigo, whose remark on his boxing stance had caught him off guard before having his shock replaced with rage as it had struck a chord in his pride. His glasses glinted threateningly as he snarled at the remark.

"You low life freshman!" Ryuzaki spat as anger consumed him at the sight of Ichigo's unfazed demeanour. "Do you know who you're talking to!? Huh!?" He started cackling wildly as wisps of fire suddenly spiralled around his arms. "Oh you're so dead kid! So fucking dead!"

"Enough!"

Ichigo took a moment to register what sounded like a little girl yelling at of her lungs for them to stop from behind him. He didn't take his eyes off Ryuzaki which lead to him raising a brow at the senior's face suddenly blanching before hesitantly making the flames around him die down.

Keeping his muscles tense in case Ryuzaki decided to capitalize on his momentary distraction, Ichigo slowly turned to take a long hard glance into the azure eyes of Maya Natsume.

Maya's eyes briefly locked with Ichigo's hazel and couldn't help but notice the moment that they had landed on her that power surged through them. She felt like she was looking into the eyes of one of her family ancestors, eyes that spoke of one who has gone through war and came back victorious at the cost of blood from both allies and enemies alike.

"Natsume." Ryuzaki sneered venomously as he took in the form of his fellow senior who had chosen to go around in that stupid child like state of hers. "What the hell are you doing around here?"

Maya blinked as Ryuzaki had taken her out of her momentary daze, induced by the strange orange haired freshman. Though she would never admit it, she felt grateful for Ryuzaki's interruption cause if not for him snapping her out of her stupor; she probably would've been caught staring way too long into those dark brown eyes.

She turned back to Ryuzaki as under her, Masataka gave the Enforcer a stern glare.

"I believe I also form part of this year's senior class along with the likes of you Ryuzaki." Maya answered, her tone intoning amusement. She seemed pleased at the irritation that irked his expression before changing the subject. "But that's beside the point. What do you think you're doing attacking freshmen so carelessly?"

At the seriousness in her tone, Ryuzaki took a hesitant step back. "Natsume... I caught these punks beating down on most of the classes and seeing as I'm on patrol, actions such as those couldn't go unpunished."

"Are you thick in the head?" Ichigo barked, patience running thin at being accused yet again. "I told you already, they attacked me!"

"They?" Maya found herself inquiring as she only saw that Ichigo and Bob were conscious and able to stand. "You along with your associate are the only ones here besides" she pointed a finger at Ryuzaki. "him."

Ichigo and Bob's alarms went off at Maya's words as they suddenly remembered that Nagi had been sent crashing through the window.

Bob reacted accordingly to realizing that his best friend was either dead or critically injured by rushing towards the broken window, ignoring the pain coursing through his tenderized limps as he looked out below only to find that there was a hole in a building nearby which let out steam.

Ichigo followed after Bob, sighing in relief as he caught sight of the hole in the building instead of the plastered remains of Souichiro. Sure he still wanted to kick the kid's ass but he didn't want to necessarily see him dead.

Maya hopped off Masataka's shoulders to address Ryuzaki, who's gaze was focused solely on Ichigo. "There's no need to continue off from where things left Ryuzaki. I'll handle the situation."

Ryuzaki sneered whilst glaring back to her, taking the hint her tone left that told that there was no room for discussion. He turned around as he cussed under his breath, levelling a glare at the back of Ichigo's head one last time.

Ichigo caught onto the foul intent currently being emitted and glanced back to acknowledge Ryuzaki with a levelled gaze of his own.

The blond senior student didn't respond at first, choosing rather to try and unnerve the freshman before grunting out of frustration at Ichigo's unfazed demeanour.

"This isn't over."

Ryuzaki left after that, only sparing a short glance to the appraising stare Maya was giving him before heading down the stairs.

Maya turned back to the two freshmen next to the broken window with a brow raised. "Well?"

"Well what?" Bob questioned before realizing what she was asking as she stared behind them. "Oh right, the window. My friend just got sent through due to whatever that guy did with his... flames."

Maya nodded. "Well, if it helps clear your confusion, what Ryuzaki had just used was called Mokka Tobousei (Ki of Fire). It's an ability that allows him to generate fire through the use of heating up his Ki and mixing it with the air. You should be grateful you weren't hit, what with your poor bodily resistance to attacks that generate such power."

Bob didn't know if she was being genuine or actually insulting but kept quiet all the same as he gazed down wearily at the girls shower room.

Maya smirked at the display of conflicting emotions on Bob's face before turning her attention to the back of Ichigo's form, raising a brow at his distant gaze towards the azure sky.

"Aren't you the quiet one... I hope you don't believe you're off the hook now do you?"

Ichigo blinked as Maya's words finally registered. He came back to reality.

Sighing for letting himself think too much on what had happened just a while ago, Ichigo had turned back to the little girl behind him.

"Normally I'd either freak or confront you on why you're taking things so maturely for an elementary student but it's been a hella long first day."

Maya grew curious while watching the orange haired freshman walk over to one of the unconscious seniors before pushing the male away to retrieve a backpack. "You say that as if you've met a girl who acts like she's too old for her age."

A brief image of Lurichiyo, wearing a school shirt that's length was too large for her size and Karakura High's grey skirt, flashed through his mind which made him pause briefly, something that didn't go unnoticed by Maya and the two behind her before picking up his bag and pushing open the door to his class, effectively ignoring the question.

Masataka couldn't help but frown as the door shut, concealing his view of Ichigo. "That was strange..."

Bob found himself nodding at Takayanagi's words. He didn't know what it was about Ichigo that put him on edge but he could definitely admit to wanting to find out more about the guy.

As thoughts of Nagi came back to his head, Bob found himself groaning as he stared out the window and down to the building. "I better go check on him."

Maya jumped onto a part of the ledge that didn't have glass sticking out and stared into the direction Bob was facing. Paling at the sudden realization of where the dark skinned male's friend had fallen into, she cursed under her breath.

"Damnit Ryuzaki!"

Bob would've asked what exactly the problem was now if not of the horror that spread through him at watching the little girl jump off the ledge and plummet down into the building. "O-Oi! Little girl!"

He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and found that Masataka was holding him back from trying to jump off the ledge. "Don't worry about her. She's tougher than she looks."

"But-" Bob stuttered out.

"Just follow me, We'll go down the stairs to go check on your friend." Masataka interrupted before running over to the end of the hall.

Bob hesitated yet reluctantly decided to follow after the auburn haired student.

.x.X.x.

The rest of that day had been a blur to Ichigo as he sighed tiredly, walking into his apartment in order to relax.

He'd made sure to avoid running into the duo he'd confronted earlier in the day by rushing into most of his classes and staying in during lunch with the excuses of wanting to adjust to the workload he got from other teachers.

Speaking of which, most if not all his senseis seemed to be okay in terms of social normality. In a way he found himself glad to not deal with any crazy staff members like Kagine-sensei back at Karakura High.

He didn't even want to think about what happened today as he was hoping to just forget about the experience and flat out avoid any of the few he'd met except for that blond who still needed a fist to the face.

Hours passed and just as Ichigo found himself drifting off into slumber in his bed, images of disfigured and bloody bodies assaulted his conscious.

He jolted out of the sheets with a choked sob and pressed the palms of his hands to his blood shot eyes, breathing laboured as his muscles convulsed at the near trauma.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Ichigo reached out with shaking fingers to the prescribed meds on the desk next to his head. He took two tablets before downing them hurriedly.

The silence echoed throughout the room.

He honestly hadn't slept much after that.

Tuesday had started off on a better note for him as he still, fortunately, hadn't had an encounter with anyone from yesterday.

Ichigo made sure to inquire about the clubs around the school from his sensei in their English class and was happy to find that the man knew of an expert that could help him with his Kenjutsu.

His sensei had handed him a list of the clubs in Toudou, as well as the rankings in performance each were known to excel in.

The Jyuken club had immediately caught his attention as the Captain, whose name wasn't listed, had the most skill with the art, apparently being the most skilled swordsman in the entire Academy.

He'd make sure to register for the club as soon as his state of mind was back to being orientated.

Later at night, the nightmares of war would return yet again with renewed force.

Ichigo couldn't control his pent up frustrations at having to relive those moments where he watched comrades die and inevitable punched a hole through his bedroom door as the image of Kensei's remains decaying had left him shaken up.

He felt it was best to skip classes the next Wednesday as fatigue caused him to doze off frequently during the first period.

Dark rings formed under his eyes as he made his way to the roof, not caring the least bit about the looks he was receiving from anyone perceptive enough to catch onto his weariness.

As he pushed open the door which lead to the roof, all hearing immediately left his ears as he didn't even register the sounds of thunder echoing across the cloudy skies which foretold of rain.

He honestly hadn't been this restless since his time in the Winter War. Normally his meds would've taken care of his headaches and near anxiety attacks but the vivid detail of the dreams he was having now, were beginning to be too much for him.

His legs swung lifelessly against the ledge of the roof as he sat and took a deep breath. He'd have to clear his mind of all thoughts before heading back to class or else just not show up at all.

'Clear your head Ichigo, clear your head.'

.x.X.x.

Masataka had been having a horrible day. No scratch that day part; he'd actually been having a horrible week.

Just yesterday, he found his most recent crush, Aya Natsume, chasing after the blond boy he and Natsume-senpai had caught making out with her in the shower on that fateful Monday.

Did he mention that all Aya-chan had on was a towel that barely left her long creamy legs hidden and acted as ample cleavage for her breasts?

And to think that he'd day dreamed about her so often on that Monday morning.

Fate was always this cruel to him, he'd suppose.

Now he was stuck contemplating on whether he should allow Bob a sit to the table he'd claimed or ignore him instead and get back to eating his Tanuki with a raw egg.

Masataka sighed in resignation. "If you have something to say, please make it quick. I want to start eating right away."

Bob walked over to the other side of the table as Masataka brought out his chopsticks. He sat down. "Question..." Bob paid attention to the way Masataka's eyes narrowed in curiosity as he set his arms on the table. "How many at this Academy are stronger than you? And who are they?"

Masataka brought his bowl up to sip on some of the soup before setting it down to give Bob his full attention.

"I'm sure that little girl is better than you," Bob continued as he clenched around the coins that were in his fist's grasp. "but I don't believe that she's the best. It's just my intuition but I feel that tougher guys, like that orange haired dude and the blond that could use fire, are lurking around on this campus." He dropped the now bent bronze coins on the table.

"Am I wrong?"

Masataka took a moment to process how exactly he was going to answer him whilst looking down into his bowl. "You know what kind of place Toudou Academy is right?"

Bob leaned back into his chair. "Well, I know it for the most part."

Masataka wanted to sigh at his answer; instead he shifted his gaze to a nearby wall. "The Toubu Jiku, the basis for this school, was built to revive the martial arts that were almost lost during the Edo period. The Academy incorporates the ideals of the Toubu Jiku."

Masataka looked back to Bob's slightly confused gaze and felt that he'd have to simplify things. "Well, it's essentially a school to revive the martial arts." He thought back to what Bob had asked earlier on and felt he'd answer with a question of his own.

"With that being said, it's only natural that strong guys like Ryuzaki and that freshman are here, right?"

Bob could admit that he understood but still, there was one more thing he needed to know that kept bugging his brain.

"And who's the best then, eh?"

Masataka paused in slurping his noodles before swallowing the last of the substance hanging from his chopsticks, acknowledging Bob's question with a stern stare. "What are you going to do once you know that?"

"We're going to kick his ass."

Masataka sent a sharp glance to the door that acted as the entrance to the cafeteria, taking in a slightly winded Souichiro with his arm leaning against the doorway.

The blond took a deep breath before recovering. He smirked at Masataka.

"Obviously."

Bob seemed surprised at seeing his best friend back so soon. "Nagi? Did you lose her already?"

Souichiro grumbled as he stuffed his hands into his trousers whilst walking over to their table. "Somehow..."

Masataka turned back to glare at his bowl as the presence of Nagi had suddenly irked him. "Well, no one here is interested in control or anything like that." Nagi walked passed his seat, pausing only when he stood at the edge of the table.

Masataka continued. "You guys should have no reason for having these meaningless fights."

"Of course there's a reason, Tako(Octopus)!" Nagi turned back with the smirk still plastered on his face. "I get excited when I fight with a strong opponent." He pointed at Masataka with two fingers that gestured taking a shot. "Don't you?"

Masataka didn't answer as he once again stared into his bowl. What was this guy getting at?

"It doesn't matter who I'm fighting." Souichiro continued. "If they're strong, that's reason enough to start a fight. Isn't that enough?"

Masataka blinked blankly, seeming to finally understand what exactly Nagi was trying to get at. He realized that he'd misjudged the two freshmen at first, thinking that they were only a pair of dumb fools trying to take over the school.

When in actuality, one thing distinguished them from the rest.

"Speaking of which," Nagi's smirk grew wider into a grin. "I still have a debt to repay you."

Masataka smirked. "I believe its Ryuzaki and that freshman whom you have to repay."

"They don't matter right now, Tako..."

Bob narrowed his eyes in uncertainty at seeing Masataka stand up to face Nagi. "Souichiro, even if I see that you're about to lose, I'm not backing you up."

Souichiro caught on to the fact that Bob had used his first name when addressing him, which meant that this time he was being serious about the subject. He didn't care though because this time he didn't plan to lose to someone so easily.

The way he had nearly lost to Ichigo.

Souichiro started off immediately by thrusting out in a right hook in order to catch Masataka's face. The distance between them would force Masataka to bring both hands up and then the guy would be open.

Imagine his surprise when the auburn haired second year student retaliated by blocking his fist with a Ki enhanced chopstick.

The lunchroom had grew silent at the show and Bob found himself gaping whilst getting out of his seat at the sight of the piece of wood cackling with small bolts of electricity as it restrained Nagi's fist effortlessly.

"H-He blocked my punch... with a chopstick?!" Souichiro stuttered, eyes wide in disbelief.

Aya ran into one of the entrances that led to the lunchroom with an annoyed frown at not being able to find her beloved Souichiro-sama and grew concerned at the sight of Takayanagi-senpai blocking his fist with a chopstick.

"Souichiro-sama..."

As soon as the words had left her lips, Masataka had quickly jumped back into a stance, generating a large amount of Ki into his arms before just as quickly thrusting both his palms into Souichiro's chest and twisting them against each other. "Hakka Soudou Sho(Eight Triagrams Double Pulsating Palms)!"

Nagi's eyes widened briefly at the sudden flash of white light before finding himself being blown away by the force of the energy generated, to the other side of the cafeteria. He crashed into the wall.

Dust accumulated with the crash, Souichiro's form could barely be seen within the thick layers and Aya nearly rushed out to check on him if not for Bob calmly stepping in front of her to block the path.

"Makihara-san! Move out of the way." Aya ordered, concern flooding all over her at seeing the faint traces of the male uniform around the now gradually fading dust. "Souichiro-sama is-"

"Don't interrupt the fight." Bob intoned calmly, watching intently as the dust cleared to show Nagi grinning while in a crouched stance. "Just watch and wait."

Aya felt reluctant at first to Bob's words but followed his advice no less. She could only support her Souichiro-sama now.

Masataka stared intently at Nagi's face, finding the answer he was looking for right in front of him. He knew now what made them different from the common thugs he'd dealt with before.

'Pleasure...'

These two, more than anyone, longed for the pleasure they got from fighting.

.x.X.x.

It started to rain, the heavy peddles of water were beginning to soak his hair along with his uniform yet he couldn't find himself actually having the mind to care.

He just sat there, letting the cold liquid run across his face as he gazed into the grey clouds above, strands of his wet orange hair sticking to his face.

Just a few feet away from Ichigo, standing in between the doorway with an umbrella was Maya.

For the past two days, Maya had made it her secret mission to discreetly observe the 11th grader from afar. She couldn't put into words why she was doing this, because honestly not many could understand what she had seen that Monday.

Kurosaki Ichigo was... interesting.

The raw emotion she had seen in his eyes when he had probably decided to take Ryuzaki seriously was breath taking. It was as if there was no doubt in his mind whatsoever that he would win that fight, even with Ryuzaki's advantage of enhancing his body with Ki, let alone producing flames from thin air.

With that being said, she'd embarked on her mission to find out more about the freshman and was pleasantly surprised by what she'd found.

Ichigo was apparently infamous in the rougher parts of the city for being what they called 'The One Man Army Asskicker'.

She'd giggled at first before finding out about his hometown known as Karakura from his personal file in the Headmaster's office she had snuck into.

When he was younger, he'd actually taken Karate lessons that he'd excelled in from the beginning before suddenly dropping out of the class for reasons unknown.

Maya had also read on information regarding his siblings and family and found that he was part of a family of four.

Two sisters, non identical twins, Kurosaki Yuzu and Karin that were doing their last year in primary.

His father, Kurosaki Isshin, was a doctor that owned a clinic that tended to most of the injured in the town.

Strangely enough, his mother, Kurosaki Masaki, was deceased... that and that the information on her was blank.

Maya knew that whatever had happened to her was probably what had to do with the reason that he'd given up and stopped coming to lessons.

She'd snuck out after that, not really knowing where she should continue from there.

Later on that Tuesday, she'd been confronted by Tashimono-sensei on Kurosaki's interest in her Jyuken Club's Kenjutsu and to say that she'd been delighted would've been a massive understatement.

Of course she hadn't reacted outwardly and had only given her old sensei a firm nod before heading home to think up an approach to which she could engage the boy subtly and secure him into her club.

She'd need Ichigo in the near future, if only to stop **him**!

And now here she was on the day she'd ask him to join, acting like some immature school girl that was hesitantly about to confess to her long time crush, when instead she only planned on inviting him to her club.

Curse her superiority complex for this. It was probably her pride telling her to just back away and let him come to her.

As tempting an offer as that was, Maya couldn't afford to waste time, what with Ryuzaki having already interacted with him.

It was just a matter of time before Mitsuomi took interest and if she didn't act now then Aya, along with Masataka would be endangered.

She took a step out into the rain, her shoe starting to soak slightly as the wet puddle she'd stepped into splashed against what was left of the dry surface.

One way or another, Kurosaki Ichigo would join the Jyuken Club. That, she'd make sure of.

.x.X.x.

**I know, I know! It's inhumane for me to leave it there. I actually thought of putting in a few more scenes but then I realized that it would clash with the flow of the chapter.**

**On another note, I'm sorry to say that it's going to be awhile before chapter three comes in. See the 3****rd**** term starts tomorrow and seeing as I'm the youngest guy in college *throws hands in the air*, I can't afford to slack up.**

**Review Lots!**

**Aero Out.**


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